May 2005 - Newsletter 79

New CD ‘Rambleaway’
At the time of writing we are well into the recording of this new collection of songs. We are aiming to get it all wrapped up and ready for sale by the beginning of July but if we can release it earlier we certainly will. It all depends on printers etc. etc. Some of the songs are ones that you will recognise but aren’t available on CDs any more, others are brand new.

The full list of material runs like this:

It’s a Fine Thing to Sing; Rambleaway; Fiddler’s Green; Kathryn Tyrell; Mr. Bloom; Out in the Green Fields; Gulliver the Smuggler; Wave Over Wave; Lorne Sunset; The Beggar; Peggy Gordon; The Merchant and the Sailor; Highland Cathedral; My Little Maggie May; Rolling Round the World; The Banks of Newfoundland; Lively Instrumental; John Barleycorn; The Last of England.

I’m not saying there won’t be final adjustments but this is what we aspire to. 15 songs and 4 music tracks with a goodly mix of moods and tempos.

Old Yetties LPs
My stock of these is fairly low at the moment. If there is any one out there with LPs to spare (that rhymes) please let me know, I will find them a good home. Likewise if you would like to purchase some please ring 01935 814611. At this moment in time I have copies of In Concert; Dorset is Beautiful; The Yetties of Yetminster; The Yetties, Up In Arms; The World of The Yetties; A Little Bit of Dorset and The Yetties.

Along The River Frome Part 2
All you lovely people who have been waiting so long for this Video/DVD will be pleased to know that we are almost there. The latest problem was caused by a brand new computer that decided to go up in smoke causing progress to be set back by a few more weeks. However, release date is scheduled for the end of May or earlier if we can make it. Fingers crossed, legs crossed, eyes crossed, everything crossed.

We start where we left off in part 1 in Dorchester and then meander along the paths that Thomas Hardy loved and wrote about. Past castle, farm and watercress bed, through the village of Morton with it’s beautiful church and the grave of Lawrence of Arabia. Then on to Wareham and Poole Harbour taking in the wonderful scenery, the flora and fauna, an environmental fish protection station and an archaeological dig on the way. Varied or what? You should see the size of some of the salmon that swim up-river every year to spawn!! WOW!!

Yetminster Fair
I’m not sure how many Yetminster Fairs we have been involved in. I’m sure some buff out there will tell me. It’s THE once a year occasion for one and all to gather and catch up on all the news. ‘Cor, you know what happened to Mrs. So and So down to watchumecallit’ etc. etc. I know my voice is worn from nattering before we get anywhere near time for the concert. One of the great attractions is the fact that you walk down the main street and ponder over the bargains without getting knocked base over apex by the traffic. We will be there as usual right at the heart of things with our supermarket.

Your contact if you wish to find out about camping etc. or to buy tickets for the 8p.m. Yetties concert in the marquee is Derek Mott, Stonechat, High Street, Yetminster, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 6LF. Tel. 01935 872123. The staff of Sherborne Tourist Information are also on hand if you wish to book accommodation in the area. They are always very helpful and can be contacted on 01935 815341.

Memory Lane (a funny thing happened on the way to Delhi)
In 1984 we were on our second long trip for the British Council in the Far East. We had been to Kathmandu in Nepal and were due to go to tour Pakistan when, at the last minute, or so it seemed to us, it was decided that on our day off we should fly down to Delhi and perform there. A deal had been done with a company that was just about to launch a new soft drink called ‘Thrill’ and our concert was to be part of their advertising campaign. Now from Kathmandu to Delhi is a fair old trot but you have to be easy going about such things and we duly piled on the plane with all our gear. The plane was not one of Boeings best, the air con wasn’t working very well and we soon began to heat up and, to be honest, smell a bit. Near us were sat a group of German tourists who had been trekking in the Himalayas and they had obviously eaten something that didn’t agree with them. One by one they began to go green until the first made a dash for the loo. He didn’t make it and was sick all down through the aisle. This had the effect of starting the others off but by this time the aisle was very slippery and they didn’t make it either. The hostesses did gingerly walk along putting tissues on top but I can’t say that was much of a help. In a ship when this happens you can go up on deck for some fresh air but at 33,000 feet the air is too thin and cold and tunnelling your way out is not recommended so we were lumbered until we landed. I’m proud to say all three of us arrived intact, so to speak, but we didn’t eat very much on the journey.

Weymouth Summer Season
I’m afraid the summer season at Weymouth is not on. It was touch and go last year, the decision to carry on was only made at the last minute which meant that publicity was not really up to scratch. There are plans afoot to knock the Pavilion down and build a mix of apartments etc. with a new theatre attached. Things have been leaning this way for some time so it doesn’t exactly come as a surprise. It’s hard on some people who plan their holidays and outings around our Tuesday nights but we do quite a lot of work in Dorset if you come down this way and it does leave us clear to do more performances in the Weymouth area without breaking barring clauses. For instance we are performing in Upwey Church on Saturday, 12th of November.

E Bay Nonsense (or E Bay Gum as they say in Yorkshire)
It was noted a while ago that someone was advertising a rare, one off single by that famous punk band The Yetties entitled ‘The Juggernaut’. Famous I don’t mind at all but PUNK I definitely object to. At the time, apparently, no one had yet put in a bid. Serves the vendor right, I hope the juggernaut runs over his foot.